TSF Launcher used to give Android a Ubuntu Phone feel [VIDEO]

While we’re waiting for the folks at Ubuntu to bring us the early Galaxy Nexus-compatible images for its mobile operating system, one user decided to throw together the best of both worlds. User Armando Ferreira employed the use of TSF Launcher and several other tools to give his Nexus 4 the Ubuntu Phone look and feel. The lock screen is minimalistic and gives you quick information at a glance. You can pull your favorite apps up with a swipe from the left edge of the display.

The flexibility of TSF Launcher and the other tools used allows every bit of this setup to be customized and manipulated so users can set it up exactly how they want. Directions are forthcoming if there are any of you out there looking to apply this for yourself, but if this just isn’t doing it for you then you’ll have to make sure you have yourself a Galaxy Nexus come February as that is when the real Ubuntu Phone release will be unleashed unto the mobile world. Take a look at this beautiful work above.

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that’s like having an iOS or Win theme. Why? Ubooty is a joke for a phone OS. It won’t take off. Developers stated they are only interested in iOS and Android with a lesser interest in Win8, depending if it ever takes off.

Also $16.81 for a shell/theme? SERIOUSLY? Ubooty joke

http://twitter.com/TXTardis Paul Sargeant

$16.81????????????????????????????????????????????????

http://www.facebook.com/sentinelred Bryon Letterman

Exactly. Hence, the existence of pirated APKs. Not that I steal apps, but for $17 I understand why someone would.

aimetti

hahah 17 bucks for a launcher , they are literally nuts

Nightfall

Well some people find it worth it. Why don’t you make a launcher and see how hard it is.

bmg314

But you can’t go nuts overboard on what the market is…. For anything. That’s just business 101.

chuckles87

Thank you. It truly is simple business, market determines cost. If a price is perceived to be too high it will not sell. The product risks a higher chance of being pirated. If the said product is really worth the price then it must be proven to consumers in order to charge a premium price (timed trial version…).

Ben Kapferer

Are you by any chance a member of or being paid by TSFUI?

Nightfall

Nope. Not at all. If I was I would be a lot angrier than this. I just know how hard it is to develop these things, and as an aspiring developer it’s kind of depressing to see that the time and effort I put into my projects will not be rewarded.

Ben Kapferer

We’re not saying the developers shouldn’t be rewarded for their efforts. It’s just that $17 for a launcher replacement seems like sort-of an extreme price to us.

Nightfall

It’s an extreme price to me to, but I still wouldn’t pirate it.

Terrell Zeigler

Fortunately i already had the launcher so I don’t have to worry about the cost. I am not really looking to completely mimic the ubuntu os but you just gave me a great idea for a new theme

TechGuy22

LOL sorry to say this but gonna look for a pirated apk. $17 are they fucking crazy ????????????

Nightfall

So you determine how much they should value their product. Did you spend hours, days, weeks, months coding it?

vitaminJ75mg

The market determines price… Just saying.

Nightfall

Yeah. More than 10,000 people have downloaded the app. So there is demand for it.

I would have been fine if he simply said he wouldn’t buy it at that price (which is a reasonable reaction). But to say he will pirate it, I think that’s wrong.

As someone who programs I think it’s insulting that I can put all my energy into developing something that I want to sell, and someone decides to pirate it because they don’t agree with the value I place on my product.

http://www.facebook.com/sentinelred Bryon Letterman

I wouldn’t call those numbers successful, especially compared against the numbers of other actually successful apps on the Play Store.

thenameisnigel

This has to be the worst price though. $17 dollars for a launcher that looks like a free, opensource operating system? No thanks, I’ll just code my own.

chuckles87

at this cost their should be a 2 day trial version the price is what stopped me looks good but not going to shell out that much cash on a launcher until i can play around with the full version before i buy

TechGuy22

im sorry good mam/sir. you maybe ok to pay 20-40 dollars for a launcher but most of us aren’t down. same thing with people that bought ipad and iphone every year just because they can or just want to own apple products.

Donovan JS

I debated purchasing this app when it was released a while ago. I choose to buy it. I can say that I love it and had never complained about the price of it yet. The next highest paid app I have is under $2 so that should say how hesitant I was to buy this. As I said, I have no complaints about this buy.

Nightfall

So your solution is to pirate the app!?!

So based on your reasoning. I should go out and steal an Aston Martin because I want the car, but don’t want to shell out the retail price for it?

http://www.facebook.com/sentinelred Bryon Letterman

That’s not the issue. The issue is that the launcher isn’t worth $17. An Aston Martin is worth the price you pay for it, clearly.

Nightfall

Maybe it’s not worth it to you, but other people have found it worth it. Anyway my point with the Aston Martin example was that just because I may not like the price of something doesn’t mean I should steal it.

http://www.facebook.com/sentinelred Bryon Letterman

No. The fact that nearly every other launcher on the Play Store ISN’T priced at $17 is the method by which all of us reasonable and logical people determine it’s value.

Nightfall

Then simply don’t buy it.

FortTech101

SPB Shell is about $15. TSF isn’t the inly one, but I agree that is expensive.

Sentinelred

All I gotta say is thank God for pirated APKs.

Nightfall

Where do you work? I would like to come over and steal something from your work place.

Guest

I work for a well known software maker of photo editing software .. people pirate that crap regularly … but I’m SURE you use Gimp only. ;)

Nightfall

I don’t pirate apps. Well you seem to be ok with people pirating the software your company produces (probably because you don’t have a direct hand in developing the software), but I’m pretty sure most developers aren’t.

aergern

I never said I was ok with anyone pirating software. I just think that a lot of folks find it fine to do so depending on price. And no, I don’t develop that specific software. *shrug*

http://www.facebook.com/sentinelred Bryon Letterman

Yeah? I work for a well known search engine that is worth billions.

fourthletter

Pirating isn’t stealing, stealing is depriving someone of something, people not paying for an app they refuse to pay for isn’t taking anything from anybody. People who pirate this and fall in love with it will pay eventually just to get solid updates and bug fixes.

iamjackspost

That makes no sense. Since I don’t plan on buying an iphone, I should steal one to see if I like it? How many people who pirate a $16 app plan on buying it if they like it? Stop justifying, it’s stealing.

http://www.facebook.com/sentinelred Bryon Letterman

I never said I wanted it or would get it, even if that mean getting a pirated copy. I’m fine with my Nova Launcher Prime. Yeah, I actually do buy apps. Lots of apps. What I wouldn’t be fine with is paying nearly $17 for it when I can get nearly any other app for a buck. You guys are some fucking trolls.

http://www.facebook.com/sentinelred Bryon Letterman

This is ‘sentinelred’.

thenameisnigel

It’s not the same though. Honestly, I never pirated an app before because I have the money. It’s just almost $17 for a launcher? I won’t pirate it, but I won’t buy it. It just looks like someone wanted to make a lot of money by making a launcher that is themed off of an free, opensourced operating system, and preys on people like you to buy it.

I know someone will make another launcher under $10. I won’t go over $10 for any application unless it’s something I really need.

Nightfall

TSF launcher is not based on Ubuntu. It came out way before Ubuntu for mobile was announced.

thenameisnigel

I never said it was. I’m just saying, there’s no need to spend money on it when someone will make one for at least $5. The most I’m willing to pay is $10. If not, then I’ll stick with TouchWiz.

Nightfall

David Sheaffer thank you. I’m glad there are a few people with common sense.

ryan rochford

wow

nick

Lol I’ve never found a good apk of tsf shell…

vitriolix

As an Avid Ubuntu user for years (and linux user for decades) and Android user… I’d rather be able to make my ubuntu laptop look like Android :)

This theme looks so promising but hasn’t been updated to the latest Gnome release:

I wouldnt use TSF if it were free. $17 means the devolpers must be crazy. Product is not that great.

http://www.facebook.com/jonathan.c.kolb Jonathan C Kolb

Bought tsf myself. Even got a friend to buy it. Best launcher out there. Worth the price. If $17 is too expensive than you obviously never had a smartphone before the iPhone came out. Apps were sometimes in the $30 dollar range on palm phones. Devs are the dirt pile of the industry now a days. So sad. Thanks Apple for creating a business model that devalues the assets of the creators that make your product fun to use.

Chris

I can think of 100 things I’d rather buy for 17 dollars than a launcher. Seriously? There’s a hundred free ones that are sufficient (NOVA)

chuckles87

i was going to try this after seeing the vid on g+ but stopped when i saw the price of the launcher i will just wait to try the real thing